CultureFoundry Studios

CultureFoundry Studios

CultureFoundry Studios

CultureFoundry is a start-up that empowers indigenous communities by offering tools that enable language revitalization and the transfer of linguistic heritage to future generations. This is how I improved their design inside and out.

Role

Role

Role

Role

Roles

UX | UI | Research

UX | UI | Research

UX | UI | Research

UX | UI | Research

Duration

Duration

Duration

Duration

10 months

10 months

10 months

10 months

Tools

Tools

Tools

Tools

Goals

Fix what's there & set-up for the future

CultureFoundry saw the urgent need to empower indigenous communities with an engaging digital language platform. However, while they had built a foundational version, the product was being designed on the fly which made future planned designs a headache to adjust for. I was hired to fix that.

1

Design for longevity, easy maintenance, and future adaptability.

2

Ensure a seamless and predictable user experience across all platforms and touchpoints.

Research

Who are our users really?

One of my first moves was to set up a systemic way of conducting user research to ensure longevity & consistency of design were achieved. The community was thankfully very helpful and responded to our surveys and participated in 1-1 interviews.

Learners

1,000

Teachers

50

One of the key results from this effort was the segmentation of our users. CultureFoundry had only a vague idea of who their users were and what their pain points were. I suggested segmenting the users into four personas which would later lead to us creating 4 distinct experiences focused on the needs of each.

And as a bonus…

This work helped the business operations team decide which user was the paying customer as the company was very determined not to charge learners or teachers for using the platform.

Problems

Rushed work damages the learning experience

I first conducted a heuristic evaluation which revealed a significant number of usability issues which prevented the platform from having a seamless and predictable experience.

>4 clicks to get to the content.

Navigation is guess and check.

Little room for added features.

No apparent labeling.

Imagine a student wanting to come back to this experience.

Imagine a teacher trying to give instructions to 20 of their primary school students where the lesson on consonants is.

Problem #1

66%

Teachers reported their students got bored of the platform after using it for a while.

Problem #2

89%

Teachers found it hard to perform tasks like checking their students' reports, editing lesson content, and creating classes.

With the problems clearly defined by the research, I was ready to solve them.

Learners can now…

Learners can now…

Learners can now…

Learners can now…

Have fun!

Have fun!

Have fun!

Have fun!

Learners can track their progress with an XP bar and engage in challenging versions of their learning activities which motivates them to out-compete themselves or their classmates.

Learners can track their progress with an XP bar and engage in challenging versions of their learning activities which motivates them to out-compete themselves or their classmates.

Learners can track their progress with an XP bar and engage in challenging versions of their learning activities which motivates them to out-compete themselves or their classmates.

Learners can track their progress with an XP bar and engage in challenging versions of their learning activities which motivates them to out-compete themselves or their classmates.

Revel in their Achievements

Revel in their Achievements

Revel in their Achievements

Revel in their Achievements

Learners can earn badges to mark their achievements on the platform and revel in their success, keeping them vested in the platform.

Learners can earn badges to mark their achievements on the platform and revel in their success, keeping them vested in the platform.

Learners can earn badges to mark their achievements on the platform and revel in their success, keeping them vested in the platform.

Learners can earn badges to mark their achievements on the platform and revel in their success, keeping them vested in the platform.

Express themselves.

Express themselves.

Express themselves.

Express themselves.

Learners can now customize their profile by choosing their avatar and their clan further integrating themselves on the platform. Plus potentially leaving room for further online interactions.

Learners can now customize their profile by choosing their avatar and their clan further integrating themselves on the platform. Plus potentially leaving room for further online interactions.

Learners can now customize their profile by choosing their avatar and their clan further integrating themselves on the platform. Plus potentially leaving room for further online interactions.

Learners can now customize their profile by choosing their avatar and their clan further integrating themselves on the platform. Plus potentially leaving room for further online interactions.

AND

Teachers can now…

Teachers can now…

Teachers can now…

Teachers can now…

Manage the Class

Manage the Class

Manage the Class

Manage the Class

Manage the Class

Teachers can now track their learners’ progress, manage their classroom’s seats, and even reset their learners’ passwords.

Teachers can now track their learners’ progress, manage their classroom’s seats, and even reset their learners’ passwords.

Teachers can now track their learners’ progress, manage their classroom’s seats, and even reset their learners’ passwords.

Teachers can now track their learners’ progress, manage their classroom’s seats, and even reset their learners’ passwords.

Teachers can now track their learners’ progress, manage their classroom’s seats, and even reset their learners’ passwords.

Edit Lesson Content

Edit Lesson Content

Edit Lesson Content

Edit Lesson Content

Edit Lesson Content

Teachers can customize their lessons by easily adding a variety of lecture content.

Teachers can customize their lessons by easily adding a variety of lecture content.

Teachers can customize their lessons by easily adding a variety of lecture content.

Teachers can customize their lessons by easily adding a variety of lecture content.

Teachers can customize their lessons by easily adding a variety of lecture content.

Create a Class

Create a Class

Create a Class

Create a Class

Create a Class

Teachers can create the class to teach the appropriate language course for their area.

Teachers can create the class to teach the appropriate language course for their area.

Teachers can create the class to teach the appropriate language course for their area.

Teachers can create the class to teach the appropriate language course for their area.

Teachers can create the class to teach the appropriate language course for their area.

My Impact

My work at CultureFoundry proved to be very valuable for CultureFoundry. Unfortunately my time was cut short before I got to see quantitative results, but key stakeholders had this to say about my work:

“Martin laid the ground work for CultureFoundry's upcoming scaling efforts. Thanks to him we can confidently reach out to more indigenous communities in Canada and the U.S.”

Chad Quinn

CEO

“Martin brought structure to a chaotic situation without letting any of the good ideas slip through the cracks. His work was precisely what CultureFoundry needed at the time he joined.”


Laura Goodyear

Design Lead

Looking back

My time at CultureFoundry was truly enriching. I got to contribute and practice my eye for design to a product that I believe to be doing a very needed good. I am particularly very grateful to members of the Anishinaabe as I feel I've gained an entirely new perspective through our 1-1 interviews.

This project strongly solidified my passion for using design to create transformative experiences that impact lives and empower communities.